Ambassador Mohib participated on the panel with Senior Editor and former foreign affairs correspondent for the Washington Post , Richard Leiby. Ambassador Mohib gave opening remarks about Afghanistan’s history, economic development and security, and the progress on government reforms. He emphasized the country’s progress in building a democracy: “Imagine an Afghan born in 1960 – what they have lived through, what they have seen. Imagine how they feel today – seeing their country emerging from decades of violence and darkness.” He said Afghanistan is a “young democracy resiliently and relentlessly pushing forward to achieve its potential.”

He discussed the government’s efforts to simplify business processes to encourage investment, especially in the energy infrastructure sector. The CASA 1000 project, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan railway line, and the Chabahar port were highlighted as examples of strategic regional collaboration connecting Afghanistan so it can once again become the hub for Central Asia.

The Ambassador discussed the ongoing peace process between the Afghan government and the Taliban. He said that after many years of continued war and violence, Afghanistan and her citizens deserve to peace and stability. He highlighted the support, assistance, and cooperation of the international community, especially the United States, in building the Afghan security forces.

Ambassador Mohib pointed out key challenges moving forward but emphasized that, “we are no longer at the beginning, and we are not at the end, we are right in the middle, and that is the toughest part”.